Eric Bischoff Backs WWE’s Move to Cut Back on Live Events

The integration of WWE and UFC into the TKO umbrella saw a lot of changes since 2023 and this includes WWE reducing the number of live events. While many feel WWE is doing a disservice to fans by getting rid of the live events, it appears Eric Bischoff has explained why it just makes sense for WWE to remove them.

While speaking on the 83 Weeks podcast, Eric Bischoff supports WWE’s decision to move away from live events, saying it’s a result of how the business has evolved. He noted that it’s just too expensive now, especially with how much travel costs have gone up.

When he looked at his own flight prices recently, he was shocked. He believes house shows don’t make much money and carry a lot of financial risk, so they’re not worth doing anymore. In his view, live events haven’t made sense for six to eight years.

“I think what happened was evolution in the business world. The cost of doing those shows now is getting really, really expensive. I mean, travel’s off the charts. When I look at the plane tickets for my travels over the last few weeks, it blows my mind how expensive it’s become. I think it’s between the expense of house shows—and I don’t think there’s much margin in it—and there’s a fair amount of risk in it. Financially, it doesn’t make any sense anymore. It hasn’t made any sense in six to eight years.”

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Bischoff also talked about a WWE meeting he attended in 2019 about live events. He said it was rough, and people were asking why they were even doing them. Even some of the smartest people there didn’t have any answers. To him, that showed live events had stopped being a smart part of the business a long time ago.

“When I was in WWE in 2019, I sat in on a live events meeting. It was ugly. Like, ‘What the hell are we doing this for?’ ugly. And no solution. Listening to some of the smartest guys in the room shrugging their shoulders—that side of the business model has been dead six to eight years.”

This comes after TKO President Mark Shapiro hinted at further reductions in WWE’s live events in the future. While fans may feel nostalgic about house shows, the truth is they cost a lot and are hard to manage. WWE, like other big entertainment companies, has to change with the times and fans might just have to accept that live events will be gone in the future.

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